*What Works in Development*

That is the new and very useful short book by Eva Vivalt, and the subtitle is 10 Meta-Analyses of Aid Programs. This is a good overview of what economists know about aid and how it is they know this. You can order the book here.

Just ordered the book. Will be interested to see if it has any suggestions that don’t boil down to “be Asian, not African”.

Ray LopezJanuary 20, 2013 at 5:49 am

Too expensive for an e-book. $5 would have been my price point. I think this ‘meta-analysis’ will boil down to ‘be Asian,not African’ with the Sach’s “Big Push” contrasted with the Easterly “African aid don’t work” schools contrasted, along with “mosquito nets save lives”. Pass.

So Much for SubtletyJanuary 20, 2013 at 5:54 pm

Saying “Be Asian, not African” would be racist so they won’t say that. They will say “Avoid the long lasting consequences of being born on the same continent where several hundred years ago a bunch of Africans sold another bunch of Africans to some White people”. Although it is perhaps worth pointing out that the wealthiest country in Africa, apart perhaps from South Africa, is Mauritius where everyone is descended from a slave or a quasi-slave-like indentured laborer.

I have a simpler suggestion – don’t hate Hollywood. Unless you have oil, everywhere people hate Stallone’s films are dirt poor sh!tholes. Everywhere people can see them freely and like them, are not or are in the process of becoming not.